Macher



HIC. SCHUMACHER. TRAY FEEDING MECHANISM FOR BOX FILLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 25,1919.

Patented May 16, 1922.

-3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

iiifi m H. C. SCHUMACHER. TRAY FEEDING MECHANISM ma BOX FILLINGMACHINES.

A PPLlCATlON FILED DEC-26, I919.

Patented May-16, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. c. SCHUMACHER TRAY FEEDING MECHANISM FOR BOX FILLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.25,19I9.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

x I Q.

Patented May 16,

. R \N a R I Q mnk M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY Ca SCHUMACI-IER, BARBERTON, OTIIO, ASS IG'NOR TO THE DIAMOND MATCHCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ACCREDITATION OF ILLINOIS.

TRAY-FEEDING- MECHANISM FOR BOX-FILLING MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it. known that I, HENRY (1. Sono- MAoHnn, a. citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Barbcrtomin the county of Sunk mit and State ofOhio, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in 'l ray-Iceding Mechanisms for Box-Filling Machines, of which the. following is aspecification.

This invention relates to machines for filling box. trays with matchesand other articles, and has reference more especially to mechanism forfeeding the trays in succession to the tray conveyer of such machines.

The object of the invention is to acco1nplish the feeding of. the boxtrays with rapidity and accuracy to the tray conveyer and thereby permitthe travel of the latter at a relatively higher speed than formerlyacross the source of article supply, thus securing correspondinglyincreased production..

To this end, the invention comprises novel features of construction andcombinations of parts whichwill Jbe hereinafter described, the precisescope of the invention being pointed out in the appended claims.

g y In the drawings-.-

Figure 1 is a plan of tray-feeding mechanism embodying my invention. y d

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. i Fig. 3 is a side thereof. 1

Fig; dis a detail of the auxiliary gear connection between the trayfeeding wheel and the shaft of the tray conveyor.

Figsfi and 6 are sections through the slip connections of the gearing onthe feed wheel and conveyer shafts, respectively.

Referring to thedrawings, designates a horizontal bed or table supportedadjacent the delivery portion of a match making ma chine, and 21designates an endless box-tray conveyer arranged to travel on the bedacross the path of the matches being discharged from the machine. Thisconveyer passes about sprocket-wheels at or near the respective ends ofthe bed, oneof which wheels isindicated at 22 The shaft 23 of wheel 24in mesh with a similar wheel 25 on a short shaft 26 extendinglongitudinallyot andbeneath the bed, which latter shaft bears bed, iscontinuously driven from a suitable.

the chute.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented luay 16, 1922, Applicationfiled December 26, 1919. Serial No. 347,302.

source of power, thereby imparting continu ous motion to the trayconveyer through the gearing described.

The form of tray conveyer illustrated comprises meta] links jointedtogether to constitute an endless chain havingoutwardly extending walls29 which providejaws by and between which the match box trays (a) areheld and thus transported in proximity to the source of match supply.

In accordance with my invention the trays are fed to the successivelinks of the match conveyer by mechanism of the following construction30 designates a substantially vertical chute body having at its lowerend a curved portion, 31 which leads toward and terminates immediatelyin advance of the tray conveyeras thelatter approaches its upperhorizontal path at the receiving end of the machine. The trays enteredside by side in the upper end of the chute body gravitate to its lowerend and are gradually turned to a position with their bottoms downwardas they pass along the curved lower portion of the chute. In thiscondition they are consecutively advanced beyond the chute andpositioned. transversely of and between succeeding pairs of jaws of theconveycr, by means of a rotating feed wheel 32, which is mounted tooverhang the deliveryend of" This wheel is provided with a regularlyspaced series of peripheral tappets 33 which,in the rotation of thewheel, engage the bottom and the inner forward thechutethe immediatelypreceding tappet in its upward travel contacts, with the opposing jaw ofthe tray conveyor and advances concurrently with the latter. Preferablyveach of the tappets is provided with a yielding facing, 34, of leatherOr the like which acts as a pad upon the opposing bot- M I tom of: thetray. this wheel is provided with a bevel 1 gear The wheel 32 is fast ona shaft 35 having itsbearings in suitably-disposed brackets 36,

which sh aft bears a pinion 37 in mesh with a spur wheel 38 fast on theconveyer shaft 23. The normal action of the gearing is to rotate thefeed wheel at a higher speed than the conveyer andthus tend to press thesuccessively advancing tappets against the oppinion 37 and the shaft 35.This connection,

in the present instance, is attained by loosely mounting the pinion 37on the shaft between a pair of friction washers 39 on the latter,whereof one washer bears against a collar 40 on the shaft, while theother is adjustably held'against the opposing face of the pinion by aclamp washer 41 and adjusting screw 42. A tray feeding mechanismsubstantiall of the character just described is set out in the DonnellyPatent No. 1,386; 243, dated August 21.921, and is therefore not broadlyclaimed by me.

To ensure the accurate positioning of the tappets in relation to theproximate trays and the respective jaws of the convey'er, I provide anovel auxiliary gear connection or compensator betweenthe tappet wheeland the conveyer shaft 23, which connection comprises two co'acting gearwheels 43, 4A respectively, having hook-form inte'rmeshing teeth. In thepresent instance the wheel as is attached to a flange 45 on the hub 46of the tappe't wheel by means of screws 47 passing into the wheel 43through arcuate slots 48 in the flange, and thereby the wheel 43 can benicely adjusted about its axis and secured in a position which insuresthe proper relative location to each other of the intermeshing teethofthe respective wheels 43,

44. The wheel 44 is impositivelv secured to I the shaft 23 by a suitableslip connection 49 v such as that described in respect to the pinion 37and the shaft 35, which connection permits variable motion between thewheels 413, 44 in accordance with that of the feed wheel as abovedescribed.

The upper portion of the vertical chute 30 curves upwardly andoutwardly,v as at 50, and terminates in a horizontal extension 51 towhich the traysare successively delivered in side to side relation toeachother and i thence fed to the vertical body of the chute.

The means for thus supplying the trays to the chuteextension comprises ahorizontal :belt52 the upper [run of which extends at right angles toand in mximitygto the floor of said extension, the side wall of thechute being suitably cut away, as at 53, to permit the passage of thetrays to the extension. This belt passes about suitably-disposed pulleys54:, 55 respectively, one of which is fast on a shaft 56having itshearings in a bracket 5? adj acent the chute, and the otherof whichturns loosely on ashaft 58supp orted by a bracket 59, said brackets 57,59 being mountf ed. on a suitable frame structure 60 The shaft 56 bearsa bevel gear Wheel 61 in mesh with-a similar wheel 62 on a short shaft63 h ving its bearingsi e-bracket-e i on the the spur wheel 38 on theconveyer shaft. By

the system of gearing above described con-- tinuous motion istransmitted from the couveyer shaft 23 to the shaft 56, and thus thebelt 52 is impelled with its upper run moving toward the chute. Hencebox trays imposed end to end on the belt are advanced thereby toward thehorizontal extension 51 of the chute. Preferably the upper run of thebelt 52 is flanked by a pair of guide belts 74, which are spaced apartto engage the ends of the row of trays on the belt 52. and contrlbute totheir rapid and uniform advancement to the said chute extension. Thebelts 74 pass about suitably-disposed pulleys 75, the shafts 76 of whichhave their bcarshaft 56, thereby impelling the belts 7a coucurrentlywith the belt 52. The inner runs of the belts 74. are supported bylongitudinal backer strips 80 on the bed 77. i

In order to promote the orderly progres sion of the row of trays on thebelt 52 I preferably provide a gravity pressure bar 3]. which overhangsand extends longitudinally of the row, the outer end of the bar beingpivotally supported in and between a. pair of brackets 82 on the bed 77.

The trays of the row are successively advanced into and across the chuteextension 51, each tray when thus delivered being pushed along theextension and toward the depending body of the chute by means of areciprocating head 83 which is mounted in suitable guide ways 84 at theouter end of th chute extension. The head 83 is coneated by means of alink 85 to a crank-disk 86 fast on one end of a short shaft 87 which hasits bearing in a bracket 88 on the chute. Fast on the other end of theshaft 87 is a sprocket-whcel 89 which is connected with and driven froma similar wheel 90 on the shaft 68 by means of a chain 91. The ratio ofthe gearing is such that as each leading tray is delivered to the chuteextension, the head 83'is caused to impinge against such tray andadvance it along the extension. When the head 83 bridges the opening 53the feeding of the trays to the chute extension is temporarily checked,in which case the belts 52, 74 move idly in contact with the trays; butwhen the head is retracted the next leading tray is advanced through theopening and into the chute extension. This tray is then advanced by thereciprocating head, and thus the trays are successively delivered to thehorizontal chute extension, and pushed ,1 therealong side b side.

It to be un erstood that my invention is not limited to the details ofconstruction disclosed, as the same may be modified within the principleof the invention and the scope of the appended. claim.

I claim 1. The combination with a conveyer having a succession of trayholders com rising spaced transverse walls, and means or impelling theconveyer, of means for feeding trays successively adjacent the receivingend of the conveyer, a rotary feed-wheel overhanging the receiving endof the conveyer and having spaced tappets which contact with the innerforward walls of the succeeding leading trays and also with thesucceeding opposing walls of the tray holders, impositive means foractuating said Wheel at a normally higher speed than the conveyer, and aconnection between said impositive means and the said conveyer impellingmeans tamed.

2. The combination with a conveyer having a succession of tray holderscomprising spaced transverse walls, and 1neans,i.neluding a positivelydriven shaft, for impelling the conve er, of a chute for feeding trayssuccessive y adjacent the receiving end of the conveyer, a rotaryfeed-wheel overhanging the receiving end. of the conveyer and havingspaced tappets which contact with the inner forward walls of thesucceeding leading trays and also with the succeeding opposing walls ofthe tray holders, means, in cluding a shaft having a slip connection,for actuating said wheel at a normally higher speed than the conveyer,and an auxiliary impositive gear connection between the shaft of theconveyer impelling means and the said Wheel.

Signed at Barberton, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, this17th day of December, A. D. 1919.

HENRY C. SCHUMACHER.

